“Photo: Melker Dahlstrand/flen.se After Russia attacked the Dnipro with a ballistic missile, a new wave of fears of a possible nuclear apocalypse swept across sleepy and leisurely Europe, now being compared to the times of the Cold War. And if the countries located at a distance from the monster, such as Italy, Spain and the same France, limited themselves to checking sirens, then the states closest to the Russian Federation approached […]”, — write: businessua.com.ua
Photo: Melker Dahlstrand/flen.se
After Russia’s attack on the Dnipro with a ballistic missile, fears of a possible nuclear apocalypse swept across sleepy and leisurely Europe in a new wave that is now being compared to the times of the Cold War. And if the countries located at a distance from the monster, such as Italy, Spain and the same France, limited themselves to checking sirens, then the states closest to the Russian Federation approached the matter much more thoroughly.
The Scandinavian countries, which had maintained military neutrality for decades, blew off the dust their textbooks on military affairs and updated manuals for the population. The authorities take the threat to the inhabitants of Northern Europe from Russia more than seriously. While military budgets are revised and the army is brought to combat readiness, citizens of Sweden, Finland and other countries bordering the Russian Federation study the theory and practice of survival.
Sweden: they even cook domestic animalsResidents of Sweden began to find brochures in their mailboxes called “In case of crisis or war”. They include advice on how to prepare for and cope with a possible emergency, such as how to find shelter in the event of war, how to cope with power and water outages due to missile strikes, and what food, medicine and other supplies to stock up on the case of NS.
Such a brochure is not new for the Swedes. This is an updated version of the previous edition, which was published in 2018. However, the authorities explained that the risks due to extreme weather events and the close proximity of a neighbor armed with “Oreshnik” have increased immeasurably over the past six years.
The brochure reached 5 million households in Sweden. All Swedes between the ages of 16 and 70 are invited to take part in the total defense of the country, refresh their skills in defense and tactical medicine. A separate item is an offer to non-citizens of Sweden to also join the fight against the enemy. Describes how to talk about the war with children (telling the truth, not pretending that nothing is happening). Ukrainians living in Sweden said that there is even a section on how to prepare a pet for war (and not to throw it somewhere on the highway or even worse – leave it tied up near the house or in a locked apartment).
Finland: shooting is becoming more and more popular
An illustration from a Finnish survival guide (how to quickly find shelter). Photo: FB Ukrainians in Finland
As the BBC reports, Sweden’s neighbor Finland posted similar advice on “preparation for incidents and crises” on the Internet on behalf of the authorities. It describes in detail what to do in the event of an emergency, during long-term power or water outages, as well as failure of banking or Internet services.
At the same time, it is explained how the country’s authorities will react in the event of an armed attack. It is especially emphasized that Finland is “well prepared for self-defense.”
As a result, the queue of people willing to sign up for Nasta survival courses in the country has increased dramatically, and this course is designed only for women. This is one of 40 trainings conducted by the Women’s National Association for Emergency Preparedness. Other courses include cyber security, psychological resilience, wilderness survival skills, snowmobiling and information impact. There are also one-day shooting courses, whose popularity has also increased dramatically.
The Finnish government has announced plans to open more than 300 new shooting ranges to encourage people to take up shooting as a hobby and strengthen national defence. The number of Finns applying for gun licenses has also increased.
At the Nasta survival course, a group of women aged 18 to 70 learn how to survive in a crisis situation, including building and extinguishing fires, cooking outdoors, providing first aid, keeping warm and building a toilet, keeping a fire going at night and building leaks in tents and boats ..
Nasta’s preparedness and safety skills training courses began in the spring of 2022. Photo: Markku Ulander/Lehtykuva/is.fi
Norway and Denmark: iodine in first-aid kits and preparedness for cyberattacksIn Norway, money was also spent on printing and distributing brochures urging Norwegians to be prepared and to cope independently with the consequences of hostilities, extreme weather conditions, etc. for seven days. Almost 2.2 million copies of such brochures were sent out.
The publications tell in detail what products should be kept at home “just in case”, which can last at least 72 hours – from cans of beans to energy bars, as well as what medicines should be in the home first aid kit (the emphasis is on iodine tablets in case of a nuclear incident ).
“The tablets can protect against radioactive iodine in case of nuclear accidents and should be taken only on the instructions of the authorities,” the instructions of the Norwegian government strictly warn.
The Danish authorities, through the Emergency Management Agency, said they had already sent adults by email details of the water, food and medicine they would need to survive the crisis for three days, as well as advice on first aid, water conservation and food storage. The message says that the “deteriorating security situation in Europe” poses a serious threat to Denmark, and that people should be prepared for cyber attacks and sabotage.
Photo of a Norwegian survival guide. Photo: reddit.com
Baltic countries: young men up to 18 years of age are enrolled in the national militiaIn Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, not the first or even the third year, but at least seven years, the population lives in a state of readiness for war – again, the presence of an unbalanced neighbor behind the border pillars is signaled. The army in Lithuania is less than 20 thousand. people, but in recent years, approximately the same number of Lithuanians have signed up for militia units and undergo training with military-style weapons and rescue equipment. About half of the volunteers are under the age of 18.
The Defense League and the Youth Guard operate in Estonia and Latvia, respectively. They have also seen an increase in the number of members in recent years – mainly young people, bikers, former villagers oldies and hunters. Men and women of all ages learn military tactics there.
Germany: makes bunkers from houses and garagesIn June of this year, Germany published its updated military plans, including conscription and rationing, for the first time since the Cold War. The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the country’s armed forces have begun training the people to act in the event of a military conflict.
The authorities also began to think about expanding the network of bomb shelters. A list of all available buildings and private houses that could provide protection in the event of a missile strike (for example, city administrations, metro stations, office buildings) is being developed. Maps are being drawn for mobile devices indicating the nearest shelter to the user, emergency notification systems are being prepared. The authorities also call on the citizens of the country to equip temporary shelters in their houses – for example, to modernize basements and garages.
Since 2007, bunkers have been dismantled in Germany due to their lack of use. Now this process has been stopped and reversed: the authorities have admitted that only 579 public shelters, designed for 480,000 people, are functioning in the 84-million-strong Federal Republic of Germany.
In Germany, the dismantling of bunkers was reversed. They are modernizing what is left. Screenshot of the ndr.de video
Source: kp.ua